charity shop fashion for the stylish woman

Menu

Some bargains found!

Hello everyone

There’s been a bit of an absence here. It was just a busy, sociable, meeting friends kind of week, plus I posted on My Other Blog. Stuff (otherwise known as Brexit) is happening, or not happening, people, so read all about it there.

I went to Pilates twice this week and feel all the better for it. But don’t think I find this exercise lark easy – it really has been two steps forward and one back. I had/have a locked stiff neck (think going to the dentist did that for me) which is better but everything has to go slower at the moment.

Yes, I had such a nice week meeting up with old friends and new. One was a friend from work not seen for many years, but when we met up it was as if we’d seen each other the previous week – do you get that same feeling with people? I think some friendships never die, however, you have to nurture friends and it was so good to reconnect with her. And then another friend from nursing – now that friendship goes back a very, very long time and it was also great to reconnect.

I met a newer friend for coffee. Our moving around had its downsides, but the upside is that I have good friends found in some of the places I’ve lived, and if I’d never moved I’d never have met them!

We met in an area local to me ( I can take a bus) that I hadn’t visited for years with, it seems, really good charity shops stocked with quality clothes at reasonable prices. Actually, the area has long been known as a great charity shop shopping experience so the fact that I hadn’t gone there was just tardiness on my part. I know, I know, I was going to cut down on this, but listen I bought 2 jackets and one of them I have already worn twice. No pics of that one as yet, as it’s black corduroy, and I couldn’t get the detail of it in the pic I took.

Anyway here is the second jacket. Look at the lovely lining. The cost? £7.99 and it’s in excellent almost unworn condition with a Per Una label.

Here it is worn with an old charity shop skirt and my favourite charity shop ankle boots. It’s little big but that means I can wear a big jumper under it when the weather gets colder. Can you see I had a trim and the hair is a bit shorter.

I also bought a beautiful boiled merino wool hat, handmade by someone called Susannah (said the label) again for the sum of £7.99

Thank you for making this hat Susannah – it will be much loved. Another find was a £3.99 Per Una linen skirt, which will be worn in the summer.

The pic above gives you some insight into how I arrange my clothes. I do have a purpose built wardrobe along one wall, which, I hasten to add, is shared with Mr F! And I was thinking of getting a white cupboard for all of the items you can see, but I had these shelves for books, and what with the downsizing and the clearing out they were going to be discarded. But no, I thought, reuse, recyIe, repurpose furniture as well as clothes, so I decided to use the shelves this way. You can see some hats (another shot of the shelves would reveal 3 hat boxes full of hats) and there’s some of my jumpers. Some of my jewellery is laid out on shoe box lids! Oh, and there’s my weights peeking out from behind the skirt.

And then there was this. I couldn’t resist it.

This has an old label, Consortium, and was the most expensive item at £9.99. Note, that I bought nothing in or around £5, which is my preferred spend – prices are going up. Btw, the dress has a fish tail that trails along the ground and is made with that glorious devore velvet in a beautiful green colour. Here’s a close-up of it.

The colour’s washed out a bit in this pic but you get the detail.

Well, that’s all for now. With love, Penny, the Frugalfashionshopper

P.S. Sharing with the usual lovely people – icons on the side or at the bottom if reading on a phone

P.P.S Re: the post on Brexit (ha) that’s up on My Other Blog. Only read on the understanding that I hold strong views on how negotiations are being conducted. However, while I absolutely welcome differences of opinion please respect these differences – thanks 🙂

Thank you Eve! The weights have helped tone my upper arms, the exercises have even helped that looser skin you get hanging down from raised arms. I do the weights, at a slightly reduced weight of 3 kilos (was on 4 kilos) twice a week.

Tbh, I didn’t do much charity shop shopping when I was working – this has all happened since I retired, and, as you know, I find it’s a fun thing to do.

The area with great charity shops is George Street, in Hove. There are numerous buses that can take you there. Furthermore I only visited two of the many charity shops there. The one that had the green dress was Age UK, which has a rack of really outstanding long party frocks, all in good condition for reasonable prices, in many different sizes as well.

Thank you for that! I’m retired now too and love clothes so I could well be inspired by your example! I live in Brighton and can easily get to George Street with the great network of buses in Brighton & Hove (in the daytime anyway) – and my bus pass!

How I envy you your public transport network! My local bus service is now 3 buses on 3 days of the week, last one gets back 2.20 approx. If I walk the best part of a mile uphill I can get a 10-15 minute service, however. When we moved here 14 years ago the proximity to a the bus stop was important. Little did I know what would happen to the hourly service!

The buses are amazing although I do wonder about the quality of air in the centre of Brighton as all you can see are double-decker buses, one after the other after the other. But being near to transport is so important – I know one friend trapped in a village because she can’t drive.

I believe B&H buses are working to make their bus fleet cleaner and greener. You may have noticed how bus engines cut out at bus stops. The first time this happened I thought the bus had broken down but I’m used to it now.

I like the skirt/jacket combo and the lovely dress but most of all the super green hat ! I have a handmade wool and silk scarf that would look great with it. The shelves are a good idea so you can see what you’ve got. I’ve found that rolling my scarves, tops and cardies makes it much easier to find what I want in a drawer and keeps it tidier. I have hooks inside my small built in cupboard for necklaces to hang on but I soon outgrew that! Organising stuff is a real challenge.

After curbing my spending in Sept & Oct I’ve had a sensible spend this month – black tights, a ‘Heatgen’ top/vest from M&S and a (new) wool hat in a charity shop.It’s grey&black so it will help me wear some of my brighter scarves. I expect all of these to last several years. I did resist a lovely checked scarf – full price- and some amazing faux suede gloves with a furry cuff for only £12. Aren’t I being good! I’ve also bought some cut-price perfume as this doesn’t count as clothes, which I’m determined to cut back on. I wear perfume every day and I like a change. I also differentiate between summer and winter smells so some have been put away in the dark for next year.

Having read Marie Kondo I also roll stuff including all my underwear, cloth bags (!) and some tops. I also roll clothes when I pack. This idea of being tidy and rolling clothes is not exactly life-changing but I do like the finished product of a drawer filled with rolled items.

Bargains found – KLAXON! I love your posts on bargains. You find the most wonderful things. I love that devore dress in heavenly green. And the boiled wool hat. And the sweet jacket with the lining.

I know what you mean about friends and taking care to nurture them. I have moved around so much that it feels as if my friends are all so far away. But blogging has been a godsend in terms of meeting like-minded women and making new friends.

I’m with you on meeting like-minded women through blogging. This has been one of the most positive and rewarding aspects of the blogging scene. And, oh dear I’ve used up all my bargains in one swoop of a blog post! Oops, maybe I should have drawn it out a bit. On the other hand I wanted people to know what a great shopping spree it was!!!

You are looking brilliant with the new cut and the colour is lovely. I bet you’re glad you stop dyeing!

So glad you found reasonably priced chazzas and what great finds! I adore the green hat and the devore dress is superb. It is screaming cruise to me – what do you think? The jacket was a good find and I like the sound of the corduroy one. The skirt is great – anything with spots is my sort of thing.

Lovely that you caught up with friends.

As for Brexit; I just finding myself thinking WTF? every time another announcement is made. They haven’t got a clue and us poor mugs will be soon facing the consequences. What a right, royal cock up.

Yes, we’ve got an interesting Cabinet meeting today (Tuesday) and things are both happening and not happening. And wow, it was such a good shopping spree and I only went to two charity shops in the street. As there are about 10 I have many more opportunities and a bus that can take me door-to-door! You have a great week too!

MRH (My Resident Handyman, or should that be Husband?) made me an excellent necklace holder by spacing out nails along a piece of polished rail, attaching cord from end to end at the back and hanging it from a hook placed over the back of an always-open door. Small stuff hangs down and longer necklaces are stretched, undone, according to length, between nails. The nail heads hold things in place and tangles just aren’t possible. Simples!

Love the jacket, Penny, a truly good buy. Hate to trump you, but I reckon I got the bargain of the year a while back: a new, round necked, short sleeved, lined Viyella dress from the sale rail, knocked down from 6.99 to .. drum roll! … two quid! It fits a treat and did me proud at a ‘do’ a few days later. Saved my bacon!

Ooh that dress sounds good! The jewellery holders are also a great idea. What I’ve got on the back of my wardrobe doors are, I think, something like tie holders and this is where I hang all my scarves.

Hello Penny!
Friends are so important. My two closest friends, I met as an 18 year old student, so we go back a long way. I love the new jacket and skirt and I’m guessing that the beautiful long dress might appear on a future cruise post?! I always read your other blog and all the diverse and fascinating comments. I usually read each post several times, as there is so much quality content to absorb. I must stop being lazy and make more effort to comment myself.😘

Fantastic bargain additions, Penny. Because Auckland, where I live, is so sprawled out, it takes ages even by car to get to some of the better Op shops, which is a bit vexing. I wouldn’t even consider catching the bus nor train, as my whole day would be gone. Your hair looks great.

Great dress, lovely detail on it and what a super rich colour. Thanks for sharing on #chicandstylish Much appreciate you stopping by. Jacqui Mummabstylish

Comments are closed.

About Me

My name is Penny, I am 74 years old and I live in Brighton, East Sussex. My reasons for writing a fashion blog is that I have built up a great wardrobe on very little money mainly because I buy from charity shops.

So my blog will feature the clothes I have found since I retired, and the clothes that I continue to find in my local charity shops. From time to time I will also comment on issues around women and ageing.

Penny,
the Frugalfashionshopper

Want to follow my blog?

Then type your email address below and click subscribe, to receive my blog every time I post. Thank you so much!

Your Email Address

Here’s a link to my YouTube channel

Follow my Instagram account

Click below for My Other Blog.

This blog contains essays that look at politics and issues in depth.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here:
Privacy & Cookie Policy